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LEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENTLeader for LifeWork from the inside out.by Kevin CashmanWE LEAD BY VIRTUEof who we are.We are all CEOs of ourown lives. The only difference is thedomain of influence. The process isthe same: we lead from who we are.The leader and the person are one. Aswe learn to master our growth as aperson, we will be on the path to masteryof Leadership from the Inside Out.What does mastery of leadershipmean to you? Our ideas about masteryand leadership tend to be externalized.Our leadership development(LD) programs focus on learningabout things. We learn what to think,not how to think. We learn what to do,not how to be. We learn what toachieve, not how to achieve. We learnabout things, not the nature of things.As leaders, we receive recognitionfor our external mastery. Our successis measured by the degree to whichwe master our external environment.Revenue, profit, new product breakthroughs,cost savings, and marketshare are some measures of our externalcompetencies. But where do theexternal results come from? Is focusingon external achievement the solesource of greater accomplishment?Could our single-minded focus onexternal results cause us to miss theunderlying dynamics supporting sustainablepeak performance?Our definitions of leadership alsotend to be externalized. Most descriptionsof leadership focus on the outermanifestations of leadership—vision,innovation, results, drive—instead ofgetting to the essence of leadership.Many companies develop massiveleadership competency models or“perfection myths” about what theywant or expect of leaders. When competencymodels are perfectionist, mythical,and disconnected to the businessneeds, they are counter-productive.We decided to study the most effectiveclients that we had coached overthe last 30 years. We asked, “What isfundamental to the most effective,results-producing leaders that supportstheir various competencies or styles?”Three patterns became clear:1. Authenticity: Self-awareness thatopenly faces strengths, vulnerabilitiesand development challenges.2. Influence: Communication that connectswith people by reminding self andothers what is genuinely important.3. Value creation: Passion and aspirationto serve multiple constituencies—self,team, organization, family,community—to sustain performance.By evaluating these principles, welanded on what we think is an essentialdefinition of leadership: Leadershipis authentic influence thatcreates value.The implications of thisdefinition are far-reaching.Leadership is not hierarchical—itexists everywhere.The roles of leadershipchange, but the core processis the same. Anyone who isauthentically influencing tocreate value is leading.Some may influence andcreate value through ideas, othersthrough systems, others through people.Deep from their core, the personbrings their talents, connects with others,and serves multiple constituencies.The single biggest performanceissue organizations face is inspiringleadership at all levels. There are infiniteways to manifest leadership.There are as many styles of leadershipas there are leaders. To enhance yourleadership effectiveness, explore threeessential questions: How can weenhance our authenticity as a leader?How can we extend the influence wehave? How can we create more value?Leadership from the Inside Out isabout our journey to discover anddevelop our purposeful inner capabilitiesto make a more positive contribution.Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic,notes: “The more we can unleashour whole capabilities—mind, body,spirit—the more value we can create.”Mastery of Leadership from the InsideOut is principally about achieving onething—making a difference by applyingmore of our potential. This doesnot mean that we only lead from theinside-out. We lead just as much—andsometimes more—from the outside-in.Leadership involves a dynamic betweenthe inner and the outer. We emphasizethe inside-out dynamic because wetend to focus too much on the outside.We are in a dynamic relationship withourselves and our constituencies—themarketplace, our customers, employees,and personal relationships.Ultimately, we want a balance of leadingfrom the inside-out and the outside-in.Our decisions and actions arein a dynamic loop from us to othersand back again. To practice leadershipat the highest level, we need to takeresponsibility—personal and socialresponsibility—and be vigilant aboutthe “I” and the “We” of effective leadership(awareness of self and others).As we help people to develop theirleadership, we learn:• As the person grows, the leadergrows. The master competency in LDprograms is growing the whole person togrow the whole leader.• Most definitions of leadershipneed to be balancedfrom the inside-out, viewingleadership in terms ofits external manifestationsand seeing it also from itsinternal source.• Helping leaders to connectwith their core talents,core values, and core beliefsis key to effective LD.• Leaders who learn to bring theircore talents, core values and core purposeto awareness experience dramaticincreases in energy and effectiveness.• Leaders who integrate personal powerand results power with relationalpower accelerate their effectiveness.• Leaders who achieve congruence—alignment of their real values and theiractions—are more energetic, resilient,effective and interpersonally connected.• Transforming LD programs from aseries of fragmented, content-drivenevents to an integrated, inside-out/outside-in growth process enhancesteam and organizational excellence.Leadership from the Inside Out involvesclarifying your identity, purpose, andvision so that your life is dedicated to amore intentional manner of living andleading. This inner mastery directs yourdiverse intentions and aspirations intoa purposeful focus. As you move to amore fulfilled manner of living andleading, a focus on purpose replacesyour single-minded focus on externalsuccess. This purposeful intention andaction serves as the energetic, inspiredbasis for leadership effectiveness. LEKevin Cashman is president of LeaderSource, part of Korn/FerryInternational, and author of Leadership From the Inside Out(2 nd edition, Berrett-Koehler). Visit www.LeaderSource.com.ACTION: Keep connected to your inner core.Leadership Excellence May 2008 15